Cognis certified for compliance with 24 Principles of Green Chemistry and Green Engineering

(PresseBox) (Monheim am Rhein, 20.08.2010)
Sustainability A to Z, the institute founded by sustainability experts Paul T. Anastas and Julie B. Zimmerman, has recognized Cognis' commitment to sustainable development, by certifying the company's "Green Carrier Management Tool" for compliance with the 24 Principles of Green Chemistry and Green Engineering. The tool is designed to check that Cognis products and processes are aligned with these Principles.

Cognis formalized its commitment to sustainability by adopting the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry (GC) and 12 Principles of Green Engineering (GE) as guidelines for its product development activities in 2008. Among their underlying ideas are, for example, avoidance of contamination and waste, maximized use of renewable raw materials, efficient use of resources as well as incorporation of recycled materials and recovered energy into processes. Products developed by Cognis and the processes in use have been systematically evaluated for compliance with these 24 Principles. For this purpose, Cognis has defined concrete and quantifiable criteria for each one of them. These efforts have now been recognized by the Sustainability A to Z institute, which recently certified Cognis' "Green Carrier Management Tool".

"The certification is a milestone in our cooperation with the Sustainability A to Z institute, which started at the end of 2009," comments Christiane Glasmacher-Remberg, Corporate Technology. "To make sure the 24 Principles are thoroughly understood by our workforce, we have launched a training program supported by the institute." Adds Julie B. Zimmerman: "By taking these steps, Cognis is having a huge impact, as it is changing the behavior of its customers downstream. The new level of sustainability that Cognis has achieved makes it a leader in the field."

BASF Personal Care and Nutrition GmbH

Cognis is a worldwide supplier of specialty chemicals and nutritional ingredients, with a particular focus on the areas of wellness and sustainability. The company employs about 5,500 people, and it operates production sites and service centers in 30 countries. Cognis has dedicated its activities to a high level of sustainability and provides value adding solutions and products based on renewable raw materials. The company serves the food, nutrition and healthcare markets, and the cosmetics, detergents and cleaners industries. Another main focus is on products for a number of other industries, such as coatings and inks, lubricants, as well as agriculture and mining.

Cognis is currently owned by private equity funds advised by Permira, GS Capital Partners, and SV Life Sciences. In 2009, Cognis recorded sales of about 2.6 billion euros and an Adjusted EBITDA (operating result) of 364 million euros.

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